Newton Ready to Run 20 Miler

So.. let me first say, I am NOT training for a marathon. I was trying to get out of this training run as soon as my boyfriend thought of the smart idea to sign us up. But I don't regret it. It was a fun experience, and now I have some sort of idea as to what people have to go through, in order to train for a marathon. Let me just say, I look up to everyone who has ever finished 26.2 miles. I was complaining every second after passing the 15 mile mark (sorry babe! lol) . I don't know how they do it. I don't know if I'll ever be ready, but one day I'll eventually sign up and attempt to finish one myself.

So anyways. Here as some pictures I took throughout the whole entire thing (I had to keep my mind off the miles that we still needed to cover) and tried to keep my boyfriend entertained... except the only thing he could think of, was food.. ha.

Night Before:
-Note to self: do not eat burgers the night before (for the sake of eating, and carbing up.. i wasn't hungry blahhh never again)
-the lazy bug was biting me, I thinking twice whether it was worth doing it.. haha Cold Feet :D

Parking: relatively easy, except there was only one meter in the middle of the entire parking lot for a hell of alot of cars. and it was cheap, $0.25 per hour :)

thanks to me for bringing a dollar, we were able to pay for parking.
stupid machine wasn't accepting credit cards. hello, its 2012. apparently people don't carry cash anymore

Traffic to the start line: none

Starting line: waves were being sent off every 30 seconds. this made the route alot less congested. these people know what they were doing. :) I decided, no music through out the 20 miles.

Mile 1-3: Eeek. My hip had been bothering me for the past few days. and I was def feelin' today. -YEAH! only 18 miles to go. -__-
-Woop. First aid station. Gatorade tasted soo good. Oh! potty break lmao

Mile 1

Mile 3

Mile 3.5

Mile 4-6: Me and McSpeedy had the most random conversations while on this run. hahahah
Me: "So this is what it feels like running with no music? It's kinda boring"
McSpeedy: "Well sorta, it's kinda dead right now"
-without music, I was paying more attention to my form, for some reason my hips and thighs felt tight? Like I was running a certain way that didn't let me extend my legs further apart? Wierd.

Mile 4

Mile 5

Mile 6

Mile 7-9:
"Lalalala... still no double digits?" Ah. It was starting to get hot.

Mile 7

Mile 8

Mile 9

 Mile 10-13: This is where it starts getting interesting. I haven't ran more than 13.1 miles in a VERY long time. Maybe since the winter... Water break!

HALF WAY!!!

Mile 11

Mile 12

Mile 13.
...hey this looks familiar
Most depressing 13mile mark ever,
we're not done just yet.. :(

Mile 14-15: WOOOH!!!! Finally broke my distance record of 15 miles!!! :D I don't know what I was thinking of when I went on that 15mi journey during the winter. alone.

Mile 14..

:)

Mile 14

This is false advertisement. I don't know
how someone can be so happy at mile 14.

BROKE MY DISTANCE RECORD! Bam!

  




Mile 16-17: Okay... my knee is starting to feel a little funny.

why hello there mile 17 ;P

Mile 18: I really hated my boyfriend at this point.
Me: "If I had the energy to punch you, I would" :P
its a love/hate relationship sometimes

...Now he's not LOL
Mile 18

Mile 19: You can tell where the 19mile mark was. As soon as we passed it, all the group leaders would yell out "Last Mile!!!" and raise their arms. haha. relief!

Mile 19.. like a boss :P

And then we saw where the finish was!

I didn't know whether I wanted to stop running.. or keep going. I was scared of how bad I was going to feel. But it wasn't that bad. 6 hours later.. I can tell my knee is going to be in alot of pain for the next few days.

Me and McSpeedy crossed the finish together :) Which I never thought we would...
we definitely had a long time to bond. even though I think we've bonded enough during the past 4 years. but he made it alot easier then I thought it would be.

Overall, great experience. I don't know when or if I'll be crazy enough to run this much again...
to those running the marathon in a few days, GOOD LUCK!

Now I can proudly say I ran 20 miles, for the hell of it :)

Finisher shirts were really pretty

____________________________________________

 Newton Ready to Run 20 Miler by JV

Before the start:

We arrived at approximately 6 15 AM at the Wilson lot.  The lot was getting filled up real quick by a more cars and runners being dropped off.   Luckily, we got an awesome deal for parking( 25 cents per hour). The downside was that we had to wait in line for about 20 minutes because there was only one meter.  During this time we didn't feel as much excitement as we normally felt for other events.  Maybe because it was training run and it wasn't timed ? Whatever the reason was , we were just trying to get to the start line.  After we payed , we rushed to the starting line and positioned ourselves with wave #26. Luz and I weren't planning to go for a PR or anything.  We just wanted to have a good time and prove ourselves that we can finish the distance.  Luz told me she was going to be tweeting live updates of the race at every mile, which made the distance seem more fun and enjoyable :D


The start of the 20 miler went smooth.  The pace groups started about 2 minutes after one another.  Mile 1 -2 -3 were great until I had to use the washroom around mile 3.5 . Luz kept making fun of me for having to make a quick pit-stop , but I felt much better and relieved ;) After my bathroom break,  we kept on running.  There were no more bathroom breaks.  We stopped at every aid station, which were about 2 miles apart from each other .  We drank gatorade so we can make sure we were well hydrated.

Mile 4-10 we felt extremely comfortable, we were running at a good pace and didn't feel tired at all.  What made everything better was my running partner  :) , who kept making me laugh with her funny twitter updates.  As we went on , my legs started to get a bit tense and heavy around mile 11-15 .  I knew the following miles were only going to get tougher and i had to suck it up.   We would both stop at the aids stations to stretch out for a bit and then we would keep on running.  I was worried because i didn't  want  Luz or I to end up cramping up with several miles remaining.  Miles 15-19 were the worst  and most dreadful miles that I experienced throughout the whole run.  I knew i could finish the run, but my legs were getting the best of me.  Since we were both pacing ourselves throughout most of the run, we weren't  physically tired.  But our legs were in pain !! >_<  We kept pushing through mile after mile , stopping at every aid station, motivating each other , and we finally saw the finish line in sight.  We were both relieved that it was about to be over .  We finally crossed the finish line at about the 3 hour mark.
This training run has proven to me that I am ready for the Chicago Marathon.

at mile 14.5 hahah
i love him :)

Chicago Half Marathon

This was kind of a special race for me.  I was not a "runner" a year ago. At least not the type that had the guts to sign up for a race and compete against other people. Nope, not me. I had never spectated a race before this one either.  I knew I had been missing out on alot of cool stuff as soon as I got to spectate this race last year.

I would run up to 5 miles, maybe even the occasional 7 miles, but never more. I was exposed to all this adrenaline. I wanted to feel the rush! To race against time and myself. I would only run in an attempt to start being active. I didn't know what I was missing out on. After that day, I had my mind set on one thing, Chicago Half Marathon 2012. Little did I know, I would finish my first half 9 months later.

Race Day

I had 1:49 set in my head after finishing at 1:56 a few weeks ago at the RN'R. I wanted that sub 1:50 so bad. Did I have it in me? I wasn't so sure. I was 90% sure I could hit 1:52. Two or 3 weeks before the race, I had ran 13.1 and completed it at 1:52, with water breaks here and there. I wasn't going to let it go.

When we got to the race site, it looked almost exactly the same as last year. We got there about 30 minutes earlier. Hung out by the corrals.. took pictures. We were joined by my boyfriends entire family! I'm not kidding. His brothers and sister-in-law were also running the race. One of our friends from highschool was also doing it, so it felt awesome with everyone pumped up.

The start came by too fast. 1 year, two HM, one 15k and two 10k's later..

Miles 1-3: I had too much enerrrrgyyyy. I felt all wierd. My head/body or something was off. I felt like I wasn't in synch with my legs. They had a mind of their own at this point. I felt I could fly and run faster but I had to keep my pace above 8min miles. Didn't want to screw up this early in the race.

8:05, 8:16, 7:58

Miles 4-6: woahhh. Average pace of 8:07? Waahh.? I feel awesome!! (in past HM's my avg would always stay around 8:40ish.. 8:50ish.. idk what was wrong with me). At mile 5, I finally saw Mr. Pacer 1:45. I had been ahead of him the whole time, and I didn't even know it. I had to stick with him. I had to.

8:13, 8:08, 8:11

Mile 7-8: I stayed a few feet behind the pacer. I was feeling good. I hadn't stopped at any water breaks just yet. I didn't want to lose him. I took a Clif Blok shot just in case.

8:03, 8:08

Mile 9: So this is where the legs started to lose it... I was around the 15k mark, when I finally started slowing down and losing the pacer dude. Gah. It pissed me off how close I was .. I needed 3.5 miles before finishing... but I couldnt keep up. My legs couldn't keep up with the rest of the 1:45 group. For a second I though it wasn't worth trying anymore. That's how tired I felt at this point. I felt I was running a 12 minute mile by the time I reached the 10mile mark. I looked down in time to see my 9mile split, 8:41. That was actually my slowest mile throughout the whole race. Looking at that split, I realized I wasn't going as slow as I felt. :)

8:41

Mile 10-13: Pain... more pain and sweat and gatorade and water.  I needed as much energy I could get just to finish under 1:50. Although I had lost the chance to finish at 1:45, I wasn't going to finish after 1:52. No way. I had fought too hard during those 10 miles for a 1:50-something.

8:31, 8:37, 8:38, 8:24

The last 0.1: I couldn't sprint. No way. I wanted it to end already. I did what I could. I saw the clock from where I was, and it had finally hit 1:49.

Finish time: 1:49:27

Can you see relief in my face? I can! lol

Did I accomplish what I set my mind to? Yep, I sure did. This was my goal race. I had definitely hit my goal. Back in June for the Chicago Women's HM, finishing under 2 hours was my overall goal. My 1:57 had me in a happy-go-lucky mood for weeks. so why not a 1:49 today? I guess I got carried away during the race, that maybe I could surpass my goal by 4 minutes. Which lead to disappointment but whatever. That's in the past. I did what I could. I had trained for a sub 1:50 and I got it :) I'm happy with my 1:49. Now I know how close I was to that 1:45, I will keep trying until I get it.

So what did I think of the race? Meh. Wasn't too special in my opinion.
Medal: Nice, decent lookin'
T-shirt: way too big for girls. I always complain about the shirts.
Course: Awesome. :) on lake shore drive? really? it felt like runners were taking over. haha sweet
Hydration: Really good. Felt like there was enough and there was big signs to tell where the water and gatorade was. big plus.
Snacks: The usual pretzels, ritz bits, bananas. boring. (RNR went overboard and got us Jamba Juice! :)
Pizza: line wayyy too long.
Beer: im still not 21. haha boo
Massage: decent :)

Overall: I'm doing this again! Registered a few days ago for 30% off.. missed the 50% by a few minutes. Still good price. I'm getting my 1:45 for sure.

See ya then ChiHalf 2013!

thinking of actually buying this picture. i look so angry haha


__________________________

NEWTON Ready to Run 20 MILER IN 2 DAYS!! blahhhhh. why would my boyfriend do this to me?! I've never ran over 15 miles, so this will be a new distance record..

Here goes nothing..

7 Days

One week left of "vacation" before school begins, and I haven't even done half the things on my Summer Bucket list. Damn you school.. one day I shall be proud of receiving my diploma, but not today, not when it means my summer is over :(

Grr...

I can't believe today is Sunday. 7 days ago, I was so happy I was finally on vacation, but this Sunday means there's only 7 days left before I'm a prisoner at school. What the hell did I do for the past week?!

Oh yeah.. lay around, go for a run... shower...lay around some more.. ocassionally clean up my room, eat and eat some more. Productive much?

Here's my handy dandy workout log.. I think I did good and used my time wisely in this area lol. I was aiming for 30+ preferably 35miles, and I actually got 43.5 miles done. AND got TWO p90x workouts done. Yeeeeah!  (Overachiever? :) 

Monday- 6mi bike, 6mi recovery run, half of P90x Chest & Back + Abs
Tuesday- 3 mi
Wednesday- 5 mi
Thursday- p90x Shoulders & Arms + Ab Ripper (Running-Rest)
Friday- 11mi LSD, avg HR 153

Saturday- 5 mi pyramid speed run + 0.4mi cool down

Sunday - 13.1mi unofficial PR (1:52:48) 

 

OH yeah. Forgot to mention I unofficially PRed my 13.1 miler today. by 4 minutes. can you say HOLY S***!?! yeah. I did. I gotta owe it to the BF. Although I was slowing him down... he paced me and pushed me till the end. (And put up with my loud, off-pitch singing) 

He deserves the best boyfriend award for that :)

Yummy protein shake after the 13miler! Vanilla Cinnamon-Banana Shake 

Pretty trail! New fav route 

McSpeedy pacing me

  

 

Ah. I'm going to miss laying around but this week has to be different! Hopefully.

So far my list included:

-Running w/ McSpeedy along lakefront

-Open water swim (I'll take swimming in a pool one last time)

-Bike along lakefront

-Beach! (doubt it's going to get 90+ degrees anymore.. )

-Clean out my room and closet (this is a MUST)

-school supply/book/clothes shopping

What I accomplished this past week?

-Cooked for myself the entire week! :)

-PRed HM distance ;)

-Ran a new route

-added some color into my hair

-Hung out/shopped with a friend

Hmm... I would say semi-successful week?

:) Happy Sunday!

_____________________________________________________________________

Today's Long Run! 

Race Recap: Chicago 10k

I can honestly say that all hard work really pays off. My #1 goal was to finish under 50 minutes. #2 goal was to beat my old PR of 52:21. Little did I know I had it in me all along...

I learned my lesson from the last race, and had everything prepared the night before. I had my clothes, shoes, bib, and all the other good stuff good to go.

What was more shocking was that the race began at 8am. (Rock N Roll began at 6:30, see the difference?) I got to sleep in, till about 6:30ish. :)


On our way to Grant Park, the anxiety started kicking in. I couldn't get a good nights sleep because of it either. Lining up at the start line, I turned up my music and let everything else fade around me.

There was only about 2,000 runners for this race, so the lake shore trail wasn't heavily congested at any point and there was enough room. I first lined up at the 7:00min start, so I felt like I was going really slow compared to those around me, but looking down at my Garmin I was going at a 7:15 pace. I settled in to a comfortable pace and kept my eyes on my Garmin. I didn't feel thirsty so I only grabbed water from one stop. I started feeling my legs getting tired at around mile 4. My mile splits had surprised the heck out of me.
(Mile 1- 7:50,  Mile 2- 7:52, Mile 3- 7:59, Mile 4- 7:55)
I had never kept up a sub-8 pace for more then 3 miles. I was looking down at my watch like "wha??" I couldn't believe I really had it in me. The days leading up to the race, I had been looking up my calculated avg pace if I wanted to finish at 50 mins.. and I remember it being an 8:02. After mile 4, I felt like maybe I could actually finish at a sub 8 avg pace. The last mile flew by. I ran it faster than my 5th. Finishing the 6th mile was tough though (Mile 6- 8:04). I was waiting for the 6 mile mark, but I missed it. Instead I looked at my watch, I had about a minute and a half to spare for the last 0.2mi.. There was a turn before we got to see the finish line, I don't know why they do this almost every single time. The finish line is either after a big hill, a turn, or both (Hot Chocolate). So there was only about a 0.2 mile stretch from the turn and the finish line. But then again, I don't know if I prefer seeing the finish line from a mile away. But anyways, as soon as I turned up that small hill, there it was. I ran and saw the clock at 49minutes. Sprinted (@6:57 pace). Then succeeded. 49:44.

-finished below 49:59
-finished with an avg pace of 8:02
-got 7th Place in the female 20-24 AG
-had fun and felt great the whole time

I would've never dreamed of achieving even the things I thought were once impossible.

After the race we hung out near the finish line, cheered on the other runners and went out for a celebratory brunch. Me and McSpeedy had both PRed, and both our moms were there to cheer us on (a first, my mom had never gone to any of my races) so it was kind of a big deal. He had finished at 40:46 with a 6:32 pace (Yeah, I know, can you say Bolt #2?) You can read his recap below. Def a happy, successful race for both of us.

Pros about the race:
-Perfect number of runners
-Nice course (trail, it was ok)
-Aid stations were there about every 1.5 miles
-Nice medal, nice looking shirt
-Cool poster
-Goodies at the end
-WEATHER WAS PERFECT!

Cons:
-T-shirts were unisex, so my Small, felt like a X-Large

Overall, great race. Def will do this again next year.

                                    

____________________________________________________________

Race Recap: Chicago 10k By McSpeedy :)


One minute to the start of the race!!

I'm so anxious and excited for it to the start! Luckily, I've been training with my new Garmin 410 the week prior to the race and it has this cool feature that really comes in handy, called Virtual Partner. This feature basically paces you by selecting your desired time you want to run each mile at. I selected 6'18'' per mile because i wanted to finish under 40 minutes for my 10k. I double checked everything to make sure that I’m good to go. I'm ready! The race started and runners scattered everywhere!

I was in the front and runners immediately started going fast. I didn't want to make the mistake of going out too fast too early, then end up slowing down for the rest of the race so I constantly kept looking at my Garmin at each mile marker. As we were finishing the first mile, I glanced at my Garmin and it said 6'12''. I thought oh no >_< , I'm going to pay for this later lol.

After the first mile, I felt comfortable and there was a small pack of runners ahead of me that I tried to keep up with. The pack of runners were still together by mile 2 as we passed by Soldier Field. I looked at my Garmin at mile 2 and my pace was still at 6’12’’. This gave me a huge confidence boost. I thought to myself if I maintain this pace for the next 4 miles, I'll definitely meet my goal time. Unfortunately, by the time mile 3 came along I started to fall behind and slow down. I tried not to worry about it, thinking to myself that I'll eventually catch up to them, but deep down I knew I needed to push harder. My time for mile 3 was 6'26''(or 18:50). I definitely slowed down by a lot and I knew it. I knew I had to do something to keep me going. I got really happy when I saw the turn around part of the race. I knew I was about halfway done. I kept running and started to get little discouraged when my Garmin said I was falling off pace. This all changed when I finally hit mile 4. The mile marker sign said I did my 4 miles in 25 ish. I knew I still had enough time to meet my goal. So I started to push myself even harder. By the time mile 5 came along, there were only 2 runners in front of me. They were too far for me to catch up to them, but close enough so I can see them. I kept running my pace for the remaining of the race. Not worrying about anybody passing me. As I was approaching the finish, there was a runner who tried to sneak right pass me. I quickly reacted by going fast and sprinting to the finish with an overall time of 40:47 and average pace of 6'32" per mile. I was very happy with myself since it was first race I average 6 minute miles in all my miles. I got even happier when I placed 2nd in my age group m-20-24!! This couldn’t have been possible without the help and support from my lovely girlfriend who pushes me hard and motivates me. She also managed to pull a new pr for 10k race by finishing with a time of 49:44. We both celebrated our new PRs by eating some tacos and burritos lol >_< The sweet taste of victory!! :) We both agreed that will be doing the race next year!! We loved it !

                            

________________________________________________________________________

26 days till the Chicago Half Marathon :)

Oh Garmin, where have you been all my life?

That's exactly what I asked myself this morning after my test run. This little guy (I have yet to name it)

will be forever on my wrist from now on. Especially since I had to sacrifice the other hand and a toe, these things are not cheap. Hell, I'm going to be in debt for the rest of my life now (school loans, school books, race stuff, clothes ;) might as well get myself a pretty watch right? :)
I gotta admit, it was hard letting go of Nike+. I love that app! But I've been running with it for too long, I needed to move on. Sorry Nike+, it was me, not you (I swear I'm not cheating on you. :)

 The love began in the summer of 09'. I logged my first "run" with it August 2nd of 2009, so that makes 3 years since then. Phew time flies... Here are some screen shots of my memories with it :) After a total of 1,734.21 miles, countless number of shoes, and a ton of water bottles later...

Cue in sad song*  kidding

Moving on. This week has been hectic. Rollercoster-ride-kind hectic. Schools about to start, took my bikemobile (pronounced bike-mobeel, get it? lol) to the bike doctor to get a tune up, gotta get loans out, books and all that shananigans. Here comes long hours of studying, sleepless nights and carpal tunnel syndrome after all the papers I'm going to have to type. Fun! :) No seriously. Aside from all the stress and dark circles under your eyes (maybe a few zits and extra pounds), school is fun and I can't wait to go back. Which reminds me... two weeks left before semester starts. I need to make a bucket list of things to do before summer ends. :)

Of course running will save me! (with the stress and the few extra pounds) Perfect investment in my Garmin see! lol It all works out.

Packet Pick-Up TODAY! Where the hell does time go?! After this weekend, I'm only signed up for two more races?! What?! :( This needs to change haha. After I figure out if I'm willing to sacrifice one of my other 9 toes.
______________________________________________________

Update on my Challenges/Goals:

-So far I haven't had any munchkins, but I've been super lucky. The only reason why is because they stopped supplying us with munchkins :( haha. hurray?

-And with the Lose 10+lbs Plan? Well I haven't gained anything, so I'm maintaining pretty good. But I can't budge below 134. Grr. I'm trying to figure out why. And before school starts, I'm going to have to see what's up. Maybe the stress this week has been playing with me. Or my mindless eating, woops. Or I haven't really worked out this week, Mondays workout was a killer so it hurts to lift anything. Race is in 3 days and I've got the next two weeks to relax. FINALLY a vacation :) no work or school for two entire weeks! Yee!
So.. I'm in no rush to lose those stinkin' pounds. :) I know I can, and will.

-END OF SUMMER BUCKETLIST COMING SOON!

Happy ALMOST FRIDAY! :)

Sittin' on my lunch break typing away.. coolest place on campus

Cake for Breakfast

Goals for today:

-Keep portions under control

-try to squeeze in my greens and fruits!

-dance off some calories

Today, my youngest and last aunt (out of 9) is finally getting married, which means lots of delicious food and cake. and more cake. and a big cake and more food. (pictures later)

I woke up feeling groggy this morning and a run would definitely fix my mood. I was thinking about the Chicago 10k in 2 weeks and decided to time myself. I PR'ed it :D "unofficially" but I did. Back in April, I finished the Chi Town 10k at 52 minutes. Today, I did it in 50:28. The day of the race my goal is to finish it at least at a 49:59. *fingers crossed* 

Time Trial 10k,  50:28 

The weather, in the 70s, made it a whole lot easier. Hopefully we get lucky with some good weather on the 12th. *fingers crossed again* This mornings run was beyond amazing. Except for one thing. I was having stomach issues. I know next time to never eat dairy the night before. Turns out I slept walked and ate cereal with some milk and a little ice scream. This only happens when I fall asleep and I'm craving something or I'm stressed. But anywho! Note to self: no dairy before a race. My stomach felt super bloated. 

Afterwards I made myself a protein shake for breakfast. Wasn't in the mood for any solid food so I took it to work. 

Note to self: buy skim milk, had to use 2% but eh.. potato potahto

During my "lunch" hour, more like breakfast, some ladies in the cafeteria were cutting a cake for the birthday girl. I was offered some not once. Not twice. But at least 10 times. I kept thinking if I was being rude? Should I have accepted the cake and took it home? Thrown it out? I felt guilty after standing up to leave, and once again they asked me to take a piece. Crap. I really felt bad. 

So is it bad declining sweets or food in general, when people offer it to you?

What would you do in my place? 

PS. going to need more protein powder! I need suggestions! 

Have a good weekend!

It's F-F-F-Friday!!

Welp, yesterday I felt like crap. Sore. Tired. Sleepy. Moody.
And only ran a mile. womp womp.

But today's finally Friday!!! :-)

Today's workout didn't go as planned BUT still got a workout in :-)
How? Took my workout clothes to work and worked out during my lunch break. Booya! (Sadly, I forgot my towel... :-( lol thank god for hand dryers)
I think I might make this a habit. Friday's is usually a hectic day (12hrs of work, two separate jobs) so its hard to get my workout done.

Took this beautiful picture while on my way down my usual route. It reminded me of those super cold, near 0 degree runs during the winter. The plan today was to get at least a 2mile run and it turned out to be 2.75. Good enough. It beats walking around campus for an hour just to kill time haha..

 

 

 

 

its so prettty!! :)

Reasons why I love UIC
-its a 5-10min bus ride to target :) or walmart :D
-I can run to lake shore drive and call it a warmup
-there's a Chase, Wendy's, Subway, Jimmy Johns, Yogen Früz, AND UPS Store 5 mins away
-I forgot about Dunkin Donuts/Baskin Robbins...
-there's a cool ass gym on campus
-I get free food all the time for working on campus (Yee!)
-25min train ride to Water Tower! (...and the -underconstruction atm- Nike Store ;)
-I have to love it because I will be spending the rest of my 20s here... hahaha

____________________________________________________________________________

It's "Weigh-In" Friday!!!
*...drum roll*

And there's good news!!!!!
Last weigh in was on the 22nd(?) and I was 135.6
Today: 134.0!

Day 5 - NO Munchkins.

Hadn't touched a munchkin all week. Bam. Some stale ones are still staring at me from about 15 feet away. (Coworker actually took out a measuring tape to measure it... hahaha)
Luz- 1, Munchkins - 0.

Day 5 - "Lose 10+lbs" Plan

Workouts- Haven't been 100% dedicated but still worked out, so I won't beat myself up.
Eating-wise, I've been eating my meals regularly, trying to squeeze in veggies and fruits. Having a hard time with meat... since I don't know how to cook really well. >_<
So instead I drink protein shakes after my hard workout for the mean time. And eat my usual peanut butter. Every morning without fail.


HAPPY FRIDAY!! :)

Favorite Snacks

So.. I'm trying to come up with a list of things I usually eat when it's not time for Lunch or Dinner yet but I feel hungry. Usually I have snacks throughout the day, packed and ready to go, and then have a big meal during dinner.
The following snacks vary from fresh fruit to packaged snacks. Follow the portion size, or else the calories will be off. I would suggest to go for the natural snacks, since they offer more nutrients and fiber. The processed snacks may contain artificial sweeteners and added ingredients. Also remember, calories are approximations

Natural Snacks

• Banana (~100cal)
• Apple(~100)
• 1 cup of diced pineapple (~80cal)
• 1 cup of strawberries (~50cal)
• 1 cup of grapes (~62cal)
• 1 orange/1 cup of sections of orange (~80cal)
• half an apple, sliced, with 1tbsp of peanut butter (~140cal)
• half banana w/ 1 tbsp PB (~140cal)
• 1oz of almonds, about 24 pieces (~165cal)

Processed Snacks

• PopChips (16 Chips) 96cal
• Mott's Natural Apple Sauce No Sugar Added, 1 container/~1/2cup (50 cal)
• 1 cup Organic Valley Chocolate Lowfat Milk (160 calories)
• 1 Fiber One Brownie (90cal)
• 1 bag of Orville Redenbacher's 100 Calorie Pack Popcorn
• Dannon Light & Fit yogurt, strawberry (~80cal)
• Fiber One 90 calories bar
• 1/2 whole wheat bagel thin w/ 1tbsp of PB (~140cal)
• 1/2 whole wheat bagel thin w/ 1 Laughing Cow cheese wedge (~90cal)
• Rold Gold Honey Wheat Braided Twists, 8 sticks (110cal)
• Special K Berries Cereal (110cal for 1cup) + 1/2 cup of skim milk (45cal)

 ***Do NOT snack if you're not hungry

These are just some of my favorite things to eat :-)
I will try to update this list as I think of more things to add

__________________________________________

DAY 3 NO Munchkins - ...they are really tempting me today, but I had one cookie last night for being so good yesterday with my eating. So I am satisfied :)

DAY 3 "Lose 10+lbs" Plan - So far, eating-wise everything is okay. I feel hungry every morning now, which is good. I eat my dinner earlier now. This morning I had a banana and chai tea. Forgot to eat the rest of my breakfast but had a salad with a bagel thin and cheese wedge for lunch. Followed by applesauce and pineapples for sweet snack. Working-out wise, Monday I did p90x, yesterday I ran short 3 mile recovery and today's plan is to do a good 5 miler and p90x chest and back after work.

I decided I'm going to make Fridays my "Weigh-In" days!

Crossing my fingers, hopefully I lose something for this weeks hard work :)



Give me ideas on what to add to my list! :-)